The Legend of Spyro: Shadows of Night
by IceWhiteWolfy
Summary: Donovan night is always getting in trouble at school and finds himself in detention at least once a week. His outlet, his band that gets together every Friday to vent and have fun through their music. Although today His path home is interrupted by a group of guys looking for trouble and he is forced to "take a shortcut" through the woods, where he finds a strange rock arch.
1. Chapter 1

**Author Notes - So I took a really long break from writing and decided if I was going to come back I would need to rewrite my story from the start. So here is my story starting fresh and this time I will make regular updates and finish it.  
Disclaimer - I do not own "The Legend of Spyro" game series or any of its characters. I also do not own "Falling in Reverse" or their song "Raised by Wolves" that is mentioned in this chapter.**

Chapter One - The Familiar and The Not So Familiar 

Here I sit, in the same fucking detention room I seem to wind up in at least once a week. This is pointless I swear I don't even know why I come to school anymore. Not like it's my fault that the people in my "authority" are idiots, or that people like to pick on me and not expect me to fight back. My name is Donovan Wolf Night, my friends call me Wolfy and my enemies have a whole book of shit they like to call me. I'm 16, only about 5'10, and pretty damn skinny so people tend to mistake of thinking I'm not very tough. That combined with my long black hair, pale skin, and grey eyes that aren't very common makes me a perfect target for assholes to pick on, until I teach them otherwise. Oh yeah and bisexuality isn't really a super commonly accepted thing in the south either, so that doesn't help. Anyways I'm sitting here because today I taught a new dumbass why it's not the best idea to talk shit about me, it went down like this. I was at my locker minding my own business when this new kid Jonathan walks up to me and thinks it's a good idea to start making fun of me "Oh look here, this faggot thinks he's something else with his black and pink edgy hair and skinny jeans. Anyone ever tell you how much of a faggot you look like?" he said smirking at me. I had heard just about everything in the book at this point so it didn't really bother me to much and he was new so I thought I would cut him some slack and not beat the shit out of him right off the bat. "Nice haven't heard that one before, look you're new so I'll cut you some slack here walk away right now and we won't have any problems" I replied calmly trying to hide my anger best I could. "What the hell is some skinny prick like you gunna do to me? You couldn't do shit if I was half asleep with my hands tied behind my back". At that point I was getting pretty pissed and I was done hiding it, plus a crowd was starting to form and I'm pretty sure some of them knew what was about to happen. "Okay you're starting to piss me off, walk the fuck away or I swear to whatever God you believe in I'll wipe that smirk off your face along with the blood from my knuckles" I said while looking him straight in the eyes. "Bet you won't you little bitch" he retorted while flipping me off. I was About to go ape shit on him but as soon as I took a step forward my friend Andrew walk between me and Jonathan with his back to me.

Andrew was far taller than me at about 6'1 he had blonde hair, blue eyes, and tan skin. He was just about as skinny as me, but unlike me he really wasn't all that tough and that didn't help in the current situation. "Donovan just walk away you don't need to go to detention this week" Andrew said trying to calm me down, "As for you I heard you're new look just walk away and act like this never happened". Jonathan looked at Andrew as if sizing him up before replying "And who are you? His boyfriend" I could hear faint snickering throughout crowd around us with that one, I really wanted to teach this guy a lesson he deserved it so much at this point. I could tell Andrew was a little bit embarrassed by that last comment too even though he had a girlfriend so I really shouldn't have bothered him too much. "fuck off" is all Andrew said before he grabbed my by my shoulder and started dragging me away. "Awe that's cute the little faggot couple won't fight" Jonathan said as we walked away. That was it, that was the snap on the synapse and I was fucking done with his shit. I got out of Andrews grip and rushed back up to Jonathan and used my momentum to throw one hell of a punch into his stomach, and as he doubled over in pain I threw another one to his jaw that knocked him onto the ground. I heard school security running towards us as he was bent over on the ground bleeding out of his mouth. I knelt down and looked him right in the eyes "If I hear you talking shit about me or my friends again I won't give you a warning". Right then school security arrived and Jonathan to the office, he told some bs story where he was purely a victim and of course they believed him. In the end I wind up in detention and he winds up with a broken face and reputation.

I went over all of it a few times in my head while sitting there bored out of my mind before finally letting out a quiet sigh "worth it". The Hawkeyed teach standing at the front of the room looked directly at me as soon as I said that, I realized what was coming next and I just wanted to slam my head into the table. "Night" she said in a calm cold voice. "Yeah" I replied pissed that I was about to get punished for nothing. "You shall write me the following line 100 times before the bell rings in 1 hour repeat after me "I, Donovan Wolf Night, Shall not speak while I am in detention for disobeying school rules against fighting"

Later that day, right after the bell had rung, I ran down the hall and right out the main door of the building. As I ran I only had one thing on my mind, today was Friday and there was no way I was going to be late to practice again. The neighborhood that the school was in, and that all of us lived in besides me, wasn't particularly good; but this is where they had agreed to practice since moving an entire drum set would be much more difficult than the others just bringing there instruments. Plus we figured going to my house to practice wouldn't end well as I lived in the stuck up part of town, and a noise complaint would surely follow only a few minutes of us playing, on top of that my foster parents didn't really like the music we played. As I walked up to our drummers house I took a quick glance behind me and saw Andrew. Andrew was our bassist and we usually raced each other to practice, it was kinda cute that he was still trying to beat me despite not having won once yet. "Hey Wolf wait up" he called out trying to get my attention. "Damn you... run fast Wolfy" Andrew said between gasping for air, He looked like he was nearly about to pass out. I gave him a playful punch in the arm that knocked his panting friend back a step. "Come on I wasn't that fast, I'm sure you'll beat me next time" I said trying to hold back a laugh, but it slipped out as a giggle. "That's what you said twenty-seven times ago!" Andrew protested still trying to get ahold of his breath, "Twenty-Eight now" I corrected. Andrew caught his breath and looked leaned against the wall next to the door of the house. "So, what did they make you do in detention this time?" he asked. "Same old shit write lines, do work, try and tell me not to do it again". "Maybe you should stop fighting over meaningless stuff". "Hey, I gave him a chance when he was insulting me but then he went after you I wasn't just gunna stand around and do nothing!" I protested, I could feel my face beginning to blush slightly "I'll stand up for my friends… especially you". I looked up at Andrew and knew he could tell I was blushing. I was nervous, I had never made any suggestion at all that I had any interest in Andrew before at least not around him. "Hey" he said softly "It's fine I get it". "No, you don't!" I cut him off, I wasn't quite sure what I was doing but… well I don't know I just gave up trying to hide it, "I kinda, like you…" I trailed off at the end thinking about how I might have just completely ruined a friendship. Everything was silent for a little bit before I felt Andrew's arms around me, hugging me. "Donovan, I know… you know I'm okay with what you are but I'm just not like that, I'm sorry; but you're still one of the best friends I've ever had Wolfy we just can't be together". "I… I know, sorry" I said almost to quiet to hear. Damn it this day, this day can't get much worse. "Are you going to be okay?" Andrew asked. "Yeah c'mon let's just go practice, forget I said anything". We walked up to the door and knocked on it, then we waited.

After a few seconds the door opened and we saw our friend's head pop out of the crack in the door, with the chain lock still hooked firmly in place. It was Marcus, our drummer, he looked excited to see us here. Marcus was about 5'11 and heavy set, he had dark brown skin, short buzzed hair, and dark brown eyes. He looked slightly surprised before speaking "Oh you guys, I didn't really expect either of you to show up today after I heard about what happened to Wolf". "Yeah, well apparently they thought they would cut me some slack and just gave me I.S.S. instead of full suspension, probably because my grades couldn't take the hit of me being out of school". Marcus laughed a little before taking the chain off the door and letting us in. Me and Andrew walked in and followed Marcus to the garage where the drum set was. It sat in it's usual spot at the back. Marcus called out to his younger brother, their backup guitarist "Jack get your sorry ass down here or we're starting without you". We waited for a response before Jack yelled from upstairs "Hold on a hot sec", soon followed by footsteps as Jack ran down the stairs and into the garage. Jack was the youngest of us, he had a different mother so his skin was much lighter than Marcus's although his eyes where about the same shade. Unlike his brother though Jack had a mohawk that was shaved on each side, and was about average height and weight for his age. "Oh shit wolf, didn't think ya'd show up after what Marc said happened". "Yeah well.." I didn't much like Jack, he was always so annoying with his fast paced younger voice, and I really didn't feel like talking to him after earlier. "kay then.. anyway we gunna start or not" Jack asked anxiously. "What song are we playing today?" Marcus asked. "Raised by Wolves" I replied "yeah I'm in that kinda mood". We all took our positions and tested our equipment before we began playing, I joined in seconds after we started "I was lost now I'm found, I'm sustained by the sound, of the angels singing me to sleep, while my feet are leaving the ground…" 

After practice I began to walk home, after about a minute I noticed Andrew running up to me from behind, so I stopped and waited for him to catch up. "Hey wolf… are you going to be okay?" he asked, he seemed legitimately worried. "Yeah it's fine… I'll be fine" I replied hoping he couldn't tell how bad I felt "listen just forget about it, and don't worry about me I'm tough". He smiled before saying "Okay man, hey I'll see you tomorrow at school okay?". I just nodded and began walking again, Andrew turned and began walking back to his house… or maybe his girlfriend's house; god damn it now I'm jealous. I walked for a while before I noticed that it was starting to get dark so I picked up the pace and began to jog. As soon as I did I heard a voice from behind me "Hey i found him". I looked back to see a group of tough looking guys begin to run after me, I broke into a sprint almost instinctively. I ran for a while as they chased after me yelling at me to stop and just make it easy on myself, before I came to some woods that I normally explored in my free time and decided I could probably lose them in there. I made a sharp turn into the woods and kept on running. I heard one of the guys from the group talking to the others "I'm not following him in there and getting lost, just to get payback for some guy we barely know". Wow, Jonathan can't even fight his own battles, he's gotta hire some other thugs to do it for him. "Forget it we'll just tell him we did it and keep his money, make sure you say most our hits where on his back and chest if he asks about bruises". After hearing them give up I waited about a minute before deciding that going back home through the woods would be the best idea. 

I continued deeper into the woods letting my mind wonder as I lost track of time. All the thoughts of what had happened throughout the day came into my head and I began to feel the sadness of being rejected by Andrew. I mean I kind of expected it, I didn't think he'd ever go for a guy, I'm so stupid for even saying anything. Trying to move off of those thoughts I began thinking about Jonathan. "What a wimp, can't even at least try to take revenge himself" I spoke to the empty, dark, fall forest. As I continued wondering, blinded by rage and sadness I got lost. "This isn't right" I thought to myself, I knew every inch of this forest. I continued wondered in what I though was the right direction but I couldn't quite tell; all the forest around me looked unfamiliar. At some point I stumbled upon a small drop that seemed to be made by an old stream. I hoped right of the edge having to roll as I landed to help break my fall. I swear that looked shorter than that from the top. I turned around and noticed a strange arch pressed up against the rock, right under the ledge I had just jumped off of. Curios as to what it was, I walked under it and felt the inside. It seemed unnaturally smooth and I figured it had to be man-made. I walked inside of it still feeling it trying to understand what it was and then I stopped moving, not because I wanted to but because I couldn't. It seemed as if my body had just been disconnected from my mind and I just couldn't move no matter what I did. I began to lose feeling in my limbs as numbness crept over them. I began panicking as the numbness spread, as it neared my head my vision began to blur and the last thing I saw was a flash of light before I passed out.

I woke up and had to cover my eyes with my hand as I was looking right at the sun, It's light was blinding I must have been out for a while. I sat up but too quickly and my vison got dark again and I almost passed back out, but I managed to stay conscious. I sat there for a moment confused as to what was going on I had never seen any place like this anywhere near where I lived. I was sitting in a peaceful looking valley surrounded by cliffs too large for me to attempt climbing in my current condition. The grass was tall and green and there were a few trees scattered around the area I was in, it was… pretty. I quickly took my backpack off and slung it around onto my lap searching through it I found my phone. I unlocked it and went through my contacts to Andrews name and clicked it. The phone didn't even ring, no service, I tried again and again but there was no use, I was in the middle of nowhere. I put my bag back on my shoulders and slowly stood up and noticed a stream of water nearby. I suddenly felt how dry my mouth was and how thirsty I was. I walked over to the stream and knelt down beside it, the water looked clean but too clean to be from where I was from. I scooped up some water in my hands and splashed it on my face, before scooping up some and sipping it from my hands. It tasted pure and clean so I went ahead and drank some more before getting up and trying to get some sense of direction. As I looked around I noticed some smoke in the distance and figured that was my best bet at finding someone who knew where in the hell I was. I began walking in the direction of the smoke, as I walked my mind raced trying to figure out how I got here. Maybe those thugs found me and took me out here, but a place that looks this different had to be at least a day drive away; plus I can't think of why they would do that anyway. Ideas kept rolling on through my mind of how I could have possibly gotten here, but I couldn't find a single logical answer. I just kept on walking thinking that maybe if I got to the source of the smoke I would find some answers.

I eventually got to the source of the smoke, it was what looked like a village surrounded by wooden wall made of whole logs stuck into the ground side by side and bound together. Part of me said to be cautious but I needed to find out where I was, and plus… I was curious. As I got closer to the wall I could see some people walking on it this made me anxious, finally someone that might have some answers as to where the hell I am. I broke into a sprint, but only for a short distance because as I got a little closer I noticed something strange about the "person" that I saw. The thing that I saw looked like a fucking cheetah, I didn't know whether to be freaked out or excited as hell. Either there was a furry convention I hadn't been told about or there was an actual anthropomorphic cheetah walking on the wall of a village in the middle of nowhere. Considering everything that had happened to me I went with option two as illogical as it sounded. I approached with caution now, knowing that this couldn't be home, this couldn't even be earth. "Where the hell am I" I whispered to myself. I neared the wall and the cheetah, I could now see that it appeared to be male, he had what looked like leather armor on and he was holding a bow. He must have been watching me this whole time because he had an arrow on the string and he looked ready to draw and fire, this mad me even more nervous than I already was. I approached with caution and called out to him "Hey! Don't shoot I'm friendly!". He looked at me, for a moment he seemed confused and I began to wonder if he even spoke English… then again why the hell would he. I was about to make a run for it when he replied "Don't make a move boy or I'll be forced to put an arrow right through your heart". I didn't move a muscle I just stood and waited for him to do something. He looked back and spoke to someone on the other side of the wall, he was too far away for me to make out what he was saying though. He turned his full attention back to me and yelled out to me "I'm sending someone out, do something hostile and they will end you". I didn't say a word, I just stood there too nervous to move.

A few moments later a gat opened to reveal a squad of about five cheetahs wearing what looked like plated steel armor. As they walked over to me I couldn't help but think this seemed like something out of a game like Skyrim or something. They approached me and surrounded me. The one that l assume was in charge walked right up to me and looked down at me. From this close I could see every intricate detail in their armor, the lead one having the most intricate engravings carved delicately into it. Suddenly he spoke to me "What type of off bred ape are you". This took me by surprise, what the hell is wrong with this guy, calling me an ape what type of insult is that supposed to be. "I'm no ape what the hell are you talking about" I replied somewhat annoyed by such a comment. The cheetah looked at me as if I had offended him somehow. "Well that's what you look like so that's what I'll take you as, now I assume you're surrendering as our prisoner?" He asked. I was so confused at this point I couldn't think of what to say. The lead cheetah looked over me and nodded to what I assume was another one of his soldiers. Suddenly I felt something hit the side of my head and hard, I stumbled and fell to my knees before blacking.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer - I do not own "The Legend of Spyro" game series or any of its characters.**

**Chapter 2: "Earning" Trust**

I woke up in what seemed to be one of the straw huts I had seen before getting knocked out by what I assumed to be a cheetah. There was a large post in the middle that seemed to be supporting the whole structure and smaller ones around the room that didn't seem to be for anything more than decoration. I was sitting, leaning against one of the "decorative" posts opposite of the entrance. My ears began to ring followed by a massive headache and the taste of blood in my mouth. I tried to move my hands to cradle my head but they were tied behind the post I was leaning on. The pain slowly began to subside and I spit the remaining bit of blood out of my mouth. "Great I've been here for what couldn't have been more than a few hours and I've already gotten myself into trouble" I mumbled to myself. It was at that point I noticed that I was missing my backpack that had all my stuff inside it.

I looked around the room for anything that could help me escape. I spotted a table over to my right. It was dark in the room so it took me a moment to make out what was on it, but as I looked closer a slight smile came over my face. My bag was sitting there leaned up against the wall. Great now I just have to figure out how to get the hell out of here, get my stuff, and find out how to get home… piece a cake. I continued to look around the room for ways to escape until I noticed a small circular shaped window directly above the table that had my bag on it. While it didn't look large enough for me to squeeze through, it did give me some idea of what time it was. By the amount of light that was getting through I figured it had to be either sunrise or sunset. This meant I had been out for only a few hours, or overnight, and after remembering how hard I had been hit, I went with overnight. I kept looking around for anything to help me get free, but besides what I had already seen there really wasn't anything around the room at all. I figured it was some kind of holding place for prisoners, as that would explain the other posts around the room and why there was almost nothing here. That's just perfect, I didn't do anything why the hell did they throw me in this place.

I continued to look for another way out of the room but found no other exits besides the main entrance. I didn't much like the idea of just 'waltzing out the front door' but it seemed to be my only option. Now all I had to do was get these damned bindings off. I tried to contort my wrists to fit my hands through the rope that was holding them together, but it was to no avail. The rope was tied far too tight for me to even begin to get my hand through. I also tried breaking it by pulling my hands apart but, not to my surprise, it was too strong. I had to admit whoever tied me up did a pretty good job, I couldn't even get my hands in front of me to see the binding because of the post that was between me and them. It was obvious that the only way I was getting out of these was by cutting them, and there wasn't anything even relatively sharp nearby.

I had just stopped my attempt at getting my hands free when I heard footsteps coming towards the entrance. I quickly relaxed, closed my eyes, and pretended to still be unconscious, and then I just listened. I got a little nervous as the footsteps got closer and closer, I could now tell that it was definitely more than one person. I continued to listen as they entered the room and stop only a few feet away from me. Then I started to hear them whisper "What do you think it is?" said a deep male voice. "I don't know" said a lighter voice. "It looks like an ape, why did we even let it live?" the deeper voice said. "Because it might have information" said a higher pitch voice than either of the others, okay that one was definitely female. At this point the curiosity and the frustration of being called an ape was too much. I slowly raised my head and opened my eyes to see three cheetahs staring at me. Just like I had thought there were two males and a female, they stood only a few feet away examining me. Like before they all wore armor, but theirs was different from the ones I'd seen last time. They had steel armor like the others but theirs seemed even more like knights armor. The ones before had leather like armor with a few metal plates on their arms, legs, and chest. The female one had the most ornate armor; intricately designs were etched into it. It had different symbols that I didn't understand but right in the middle was a roman numeral "XV". It was embroidered with gold, and she wore a red piece of material on her right shoulder that was attached with some sort of paw shaped pendant and went down her back to about her waist. Like last time I went with the idea of coolest looking armor must be the leader.

The three cheetahs where still staring at me while I examined them, eventually I decided it was time to speak up "I have a name, just saying". The three cheetahs looked surprised and interested at my statement, almost like they didn't expect me to be capable of speech. There was a brief moment of silence before anyone said anything. The first to talk was the female one, who took a few steps forward before asking "And what is it that you call yourself ape thing?" I was quick to reply with "My name is Donovan and I'm not some ape". There was a moment of silence "You two go tell my father the prisoner has awoken" the female cheetah commanded to the other two, "Yes ma'am" they said before exiting the hut "As for you, I have a few questions". I could tell this was going to be interesting to say the least. "Before we begin may I at least know the name of my interrogator?" I asked sarcastically not really expecting a reply, "Autumn Prowlus" she replied with pride. Damn, I wasn't really expecting a reply her name must mean something here. "Okay Autumn, can you please explain to me… why the hell am I tied to a post!?" my frustration coming out in my voice. "Because you look like an ape, and apes mean nothing but trouble" she replied. Okay I've about had it with this ape thing "I am not an ape!" I declared almost yelling, "Then what are you!?" Autumn demanded. "I'm a human" I said in a much calmer tone before, then while letting out a sigh I leaned back against the post behind me.

"Okay, I've never heard of a human before, so where did you come from, and how did you get here?" Autumn seemed more intrigued by me than anything else, so I decided she was probably my best bet at getting out of here. "I come from a place called America, as to how I got here… I have no idea. The last thing I remember before waking up in this valley is walking under some strange archway in the woods and blacking out". For the next couple of minutes the only sound in the room was Autumn's paws as she paced back and forth, at least she seemed to be considering what I said I hope. As the silence dragged on a question kept nagging at me in the back of my mind, and it was dying to come out. "You said you captured me because I look like an ape?" "Yes why?" Autumn replied seeming interested in what I was getting at. "Well I've been wondering, what did the apes here do that was so bad anyway?" Autumn seemed shocked at what I had just said, as if it was the greatest crime in the world to not know what I had just asked. Her look of shock quickly faded to sorrow, and anger.

"What did they do? The correct question is what didn't they do. They sided with Malefor in the Great War! They took thousands of innocent lives all in the name of destruction, with the ultimate goal of destroying the world! If it weren't for Spyro and Cynder this entire world would be gone!" I sat in shock for a moment while Autumn looked exhausted from her rant. "I… I'm sorry, I didn't know" I couldn't help but feel bad for putting her through that. "Yeah well, now you do" she replied calmer than before. As much as I didn't want to say anything else this only raised more questions. "Look I'm nothing like them…" I was cut off by Autumn "How do I know for sure? How do I know you're not just some runt the apes sent as a spy?" she said drawing her sword and walking towards me. I immediately stood up and tried as hard as I could to squeeze my hands out of my bindings but with the same result as last time. She put the tip of her blade only a few inches from my neck "Why shouldn't I just kill you where you stand?" I desperately searched for a way out when I noticed that the other posts around the room didn't go up to the sealing, and after a quick glance upward neither did mine.

At this point I knew what I had to do… if I could stand the pain. I began to push my arms upwards until I couldn't go any further. Then with a quick jerk I threw my left shoulder out of place while screaming out in pain. Autumn looked shocked and took a step back. I just continued what I was doing and popped my other shoulder out of place followed by another scream of pain. I was breathing hard but I knew it was almost over. I let my arms fall down over the post and down in front of me. I then relocated my shoulders as I fell to my knees exhausted as single tear rolled down my face. Autumn just stood there so shocked her arms had gone slack and she dropped her sword. She quickly realized what had just happened though, and picked up her blade and began to charge me. I jumped up to my feet and moved back. She swung but I had predicted where her strike would go and had used her blade to cut the rope binding my hands together. Finally I was free but now I had an angry cheetah that I needed to fight. I didn't want to hurt her too bad because that would only make them think I was with the apes even more.

We stood only a few feet away as we began to circle each other. I took a defensive stance with my left foot forward in case I need to strike so I could step into the punch. My right leg was a little behind me and pointed to the right supporting most of my weight. She moved first swinging her blade strait down at me, I quickly dodged it by stepping to the left, then I grabbed her arm with my right hand and pulled her forwards. She went right passed me, I took the opportunity and grabbed arm with my right hand and put her in a choke hold with my left. "I don't want to hurt you Autumn" I said trying to stop the fight before it got worse. "Don't worry you won't hurt me, but I can't say the same about you" she replied rage filling her voice. Oh great, fighting a raging cheetah is definitely not how I planned my day to go. She bit my arm making me release her from the hold, but not before I twisted her arm around making her drop her sword out of pain. We continued to circle each other for a few seconds before she tried to strike again, this time swinging her left claw at my head. I blocked it by pushing her arm to the right with my hand. She quickly came back with another claw swipe, this time from the left. As soon as I noticed her paw it was too late and she scratched three deep gashes in my left arm, "Ah damn that hurt!" I yelled. That was the first and last hit she was going to get on me. After another circle around I ran towards Autumn, but right before I got within striking distance I dropped to the ground. I slid right underneath her and popped up behind her. She was already starting to turn around when I leapt from behind her tackling her to the ground. The blunt force of hitting the ground knocked the wind out of her, as she laid on the ground gasping for air. Before she could catch her breath I ran over to where the sword was laying, picked it up, and put it too her throat. She just looked up at me shocked that I had just defeated her "I knew you were just some ape spy" she declared.

I just looked at her for a moment before tossing the sword down over to the side and extending my arm to help her up, "No, like I said I'm nothing like them". Autumn just laid there on her back speechless for a moment before she grabbed my hand and stood up still shaking slightly from having the wind knocked out of her. "I guess… I was wrong… I'm sorry Donovan", "It's no big deal, no one got hurt to bad" I said as while slowly grasping my injured arm. "We should probably get that cleaned up" Autumn said with a guilty and slightly worried look on her face. "It'll probably be fine" I replied trying to ease Autumn's worries. "Don't be stubborn, that's a deep gash and you don't want it to get infected. Come on we'll just stop by the healing wing, it's on the way to the building where my father is. We need to tell him of how you got here anyway, he may be able to help you find your way back home" she said insistently. "Okay, but first can I get my things?" I asked while gesturing over to the table under the window, "Sure" she replied. I walked over to the table and got my backpack. I went through my backpack to make sure all my books and other miscellaneous objects that might come in handy later where still there. "Okay, let's go" I said anxiously throwing my backpack over my shoulders as I began to walk towards the door. "Woe, woe, woe" Autumn stopped me "I think I should probably go first, stay close so everyone knows you're not a threat, okay?" "Okay" I replied eager to leave. We both began to walk towards the doorway, as we stepped outside I had to cover my eyes to keep from being blinded by the sun. My eyes quickly adjusted to the light, and I began to take in my surroundings as we walked through the village.

I was amazed at what I saw, there where cheetahs of all different colors walking around. The next thing I took in was the actual layout of the village, which was a lot smaller than I had originally thought. The city was backed up to a stone cliff face that made a strait stone wall in the back. While the wooden wall I had seen earlier came out of the stone and curved around making the city walls into sort of a (D) shape. Along the stone walled side there where what looked like market stalls, selling all sorts of odds and ends. One of the ones that grabbed my attention was called "Volcanic Forge", true to the name it looked like a medieval blacksmith forge manned by a couple of silt covered cheetahs. I looked at all the different types of weapons and armor they were selling as we passed by it. They had weapons of all different types from the basic wooden club to intricate steel swords and staffs. I figured I would probably be stopping by there to better equip myself before leaving, that is if I could get some money or whatever the currency was around here.

Autumn noticed me staring at the blacksmith shop "Never seen a forge before?" she asked sarcastically. "No" I replied "I actually haven't, from where I come from most metal things are made in factories". Autumn looked at me slightly confused before asking "What are fact-or-ies?" You have got to be kidding me; did I get transported back in time or something? "Factories are buildings where machines make things much faster than people can" I replied trying to explain to her what it was without using too many terms that she might not know. She nodded in understanding and we continued walking. I kept looking at the different buildings and noticed a trend; the shops were all towards the back against the rock side, while straw huts that looked like houses where more in the middle of village. While we walked Autumn explained to me that the village had been rebuilt since an attacked by the forces of Malefor, who I learned was also known as The Dark Master. "So these things called grublins attacked the village and destroyed almost all of the huts?" I asked making sure I heard her right. "Well not just grublins" she replied "There were also Wyverns. If it weren't for Spyro and Cynder the whole village might have burned along with everyone in it". Now there was something I needed to know, who exactly where Spyro and Cynder. I know she had said that without them the entire world would be destroyed but what made them so great? "Who are those people?" I asked "Spyro and Cynder I mean. You mentioned them before but I don't know who they are".

Autumn stopped dead in her tracks, jaw dropped, so shocked it was almost like she couldn't move at all. "Um Autumn, are you okay?" I asked in a slightly worrisome tone. It took a moment for her to reply "Yeah… just, you have never heard of Spyro and Cynder?" she asked in disbelief, "No… why should I have?" Autumn stood there for another moment "Are you sure?" she asked again "The legendary purple dragon, or Cynder the terror of the skies? The ones who defeated Malefor and kept the world from breaking apart". I stood there for a moment going over what Autumn had just said to make sure I heard her right, did she say dragon? "Yeah I'm sure I've never heard of them" I replied again "Wait, wait, wait… hold on a second. Did you just say the legendary purple DRAGON!? As in flies in the sky, breaths fire, and has claws type of dragon?" "Well not all dragons just breath fire, you should know, there are four different light elements and four dark elements" she replied as if it was nothing new. "Dragons!? Are you serious?" I asked again "From where I come from dragons are just a myth, a legendary creature that never really existed!" Autumn paused for a moment as she took in what I had just said "Your world is strange. Well dragons may not have existed there but they sure do here, so better learn fast or you going to look like an idiot if you try to talk to someone" she said giggling a little bit at the last part.

"What else doesn't exist in your world?" Autumn asked as we began walking again. "Well from what you've mentioned so far: grublins, dragons, wyverns, apes that walk around talk and try to kill people, and cheetahs that walk, talk, and have traits like humans" I replied laughing a bit at the part where I mentioned cheetahs. She didn't seem too surprised by what I had said this time, I guess she had, by this time, also grasped that I was from Nowhere near around here. "Well, you said dragons were a myth where you came from right?" I shook my head yes before she continued, "Well are any of these other things myths there too?" she asked curiously. I thought for a second about all the fantasy novels I had read and the mythology I studied on my free time before answering, "Yeah actually, most of them are in books or games in my world". "Well we will talk about them after we get done with getting you patched up and talking to my father" she replied as we got to what looked like the center of the village. It was a large stone circle on the ground with a huge stone paw in the middle. On each of the four corners of the intersection of roads there was a huge pole with a giant red banner hanging of it. The banners I had seen throughout the city and didn't give it much attention as we turned right and continued walking down a dirt path.

We walked for no more than a minute before Autumn stopped in front of a medium sized building with a red square painted on it. The square had a white plus sign on the middle of it, much like the emblem for a first aid kit or hospital; I assumed this to be the healing wing she had mentioned earlier. "Okay here is the healing wing" Autumn said as If to confirm my thoughts, "We'll be in and out real quick. All they are going to do is clean the wounds and bandage them up". I nodded in understanding of what she said before continuing onward into the building. We walked through the large double doors of the building and turned right. I read a sign on the wall as we walked that said 'Minor Injury Wing'. We continued down the hall until we came to what looked like a waiting room you would find at any doctor's office or hospital. Autumn walked up to a desk to the left of the entryway to the room and began to talk to what looked like a nurse. I patiently waited behind her as they spoke. "Hey can you patch up my friend here, he got hurt in a um… sparing match" she said to the nurse trying to avoid going into detail about my injuries. The nurse came out from around the desk and took a look at the scratches and bite mark that where on my lower left arm. "Must have been some match" the nurse said while examining my wounds. "But I'm sure you'll be fine, we'll get you fixed up real nice" she said before returning to behind the counter and grabbing some bandages and a glass bottle of some sort of silvery paste. She applied the paste first, of which I guessed to be an antiseptic of some sort. It stung a little, not as much from the actual substance but more from the contact with the wound. The paste also seemed to have a sort of cooling affect as she applied it, the pain in my arm numbed a little. After finishing with the paste she took some white cloth bandages that she used to wrap up my wound tightly, but gently. When the nurse had finally finished Autumn took out a small bag from a pouch in her leather armor. She pulled out a couple of what looked like gold pieces and began to hand them to the nurse, but the nurse turned them down saying "I'm not going to charge a Prowlus for something as minor as a few scrapes from sparring". But Autumn insisted she take them "Well then consider it a gift for your great work" she said, before the nurse eventually gave in and took the coins.

We exited the building and continued down the path we were originally on. "What was that silvery stuff she put on my arm?" I asked Autumn while we walked down the road towards the wall. "It's silver mixed with the paste of a plant that is known to help with infections and numb pain" she replied. So it was an antiseptic, their way of medicine must be more like alchemy than actual science. We neared the entrance to a large half circular hut attached to the outside wall, which I now believed to be the main building of the village. Autumn stopped me before we got too close to the building "When we get to the entrance I'll explain to the guards that you are of no threat" she said motioning towards two of the heavily armored cheetahs before continuing "You will wait with them while I go and tell the guards inside, and my father that you're not going to hurt anyone". I nodded in agreement before we continued the last few feet to the entrance. Autumn went up to both of the guards; they both saluted her as she walked up to them. "Both of you stay with my friend here" she said to them. They both looked nervously at me then back at Autumn before she spoke again "Don't worry he is on our side, I just need to tell the others in the council chamber before we enter so there is no confusion". The two guards relaxed a little "Yes ma'am" they said before Autumn went through the door and into the hut. I just walked up and leaned against the side of the building next to one of the guards, of whom looked over me before returning to his original statue like stance.

It only took about a minute for Autumn to come back out of the doorway and motioned for me to come in. I pushed myself off the wall I had been leaning against and proceeded to walk into the building, but I was stopped by the arm of one of the guards. "Look I've never seen you around here so I'll give you some friendly advice. Chief Prowlus has a rather short temper, and he doesn't like outsiders, so try to choose your words wisely" he said before putting his arm back to his side. "Thanks…" awesome, Autumn's father has a short temper and doesn't like outsiders; if there was ever a time that I needed to keep my mouth shut it was now. I took a breath to try and calm my nerves before entering the council chamber as Autumn had called it. I walked through the doorway and my eyes widened at what I saw. The first thing to catch my attention was the large entry way that was lined with torches and banners. I had seen the same banners throughout the village but this was the first time I really paid attention to what was on them. They were made of a red silk like material and had a golden paw print inside of a circle in the middle of them. Come to think of it, it looked a lot like the material Autumn wore on her shoulder.

I continued down the entry way staying close behind Autumn while the guards stared at me hands on their weapons, ready to strike if I did anything even remotely suspicious. Eventually we reached the center chamber which was a large round room with a curved sealing. In the middle of the room was a large rectangular table that could easily fit twenty or so people. At the opposite side of the room from the entrance was a cheetah wearing red robes with gold colored trim. He also had the same pendant that Autumn's 'half cape', as I had come to call it, was attached by. He sat on a Throne like chair and looked much older than Autumn, this had to be her father, Chief Prowlus. I stayed right next to Autumn as we approached the cheetah; we stopped no more than a foot away.

"Father, this is the one that we took prisoner believing him to be an ape. From what he has told me I believe our original assumptions to be wrong, and that he is of no threat to us" Autumn said to her father. Chief Prowlus seemed to think about what Autumn had said for a moment. He then rose from his throne before slowly circling, and examining me. He stopped directly in front of me and looked me strait in my eyes "If you're not an ape then what are you?" "I'm a human, I come from a place called America" I replied trying to be as strait forward as possible. "Okay if you are this human, why have I never heard of you?" Hadn't I just explained all of this to Autumn, why do I have to go through my story again? "Like I told Autumn, I don't know how I got here. The last thing I remember before waking up here is going underneath an arch in the woods and blacking out" I tried my best to disguise my annoyance of being asked the same questions over again. I knew this was probably my only chance at explaining myself to Chief Prowlus.

He looked over me one last time before walking over to Autumn, and they began to whisper back and forth. I couldn't hear much of what they said, but I could make out bits and pieces. "How… Trustworthy…" "… Long story" "What if… spy…" "Trust… Ever been wrong…". After a few more mumbles that I couldn't make out at all they stopped whispering. Chief Prowlus walked back up to his throne, while Autumn stood only a few inches away directly to my left. We both stood still as Prowlus sat in his throne and began to speak "You should head to the city of Warfang and ask the guardians for help. They may be able to help you find out how you got here. I will allow one of my soldiers Star Guard to accompany you…" He was cut off by Autumn. "Why Star, why can't I go?" she asked aggravation showing in her voice "You can't just baby me forever I have to leave the village sometime to complete my training!" Chief Prowlus looked at her, seeming to consider what she said. "As much as I don't like the idea, I will allow it. At least this mission isn't too dangerous, and if you trust this creature then I will ease my prejudice" he replied still calm. Autumn seemed surprised she had gotten permission so easily "Thank you father" she replied much calmer than before. Autumn bowed and I did the same trying not to screw the whole thing up, we then turned and began to walk away. As we walked we were stopped by the voice of Chief Prowlus "One condition" he said in a loud voice so we would hear "You must train and equip him so he can defend himself in case of a fight along the way". I looked over to Autumn who had a smirk on her face "Yes father, I'll see to it personally" she replied menacingly. Oh fun, I can only imagine what she'll do to me as payback for earlier. We continued walking towards the door of the council chamber as the thoughts about how to avoid Autumn's 'training' ran through my mind.

We exited the building and walked a little ways before Autumn began to talk "We should head to the Volcanic Forge to get you a weapon before your training" she said smirking towards the end. "Um, yeah I was thinking maybe we could skip the training… I can fight perfectly fine and I've never been a fan of set fighting styles" I replied trying to avoid having to fight Autumn again. The first time was enough to make me realize just how sharp a cheetah's claws could be. "No, no, you heard my father; it's his only condition" replied while giggling. "Oh come on Autumn, please I really would prefer avoiding another trip to the healing wing" I begged, "Nope, besides we don't want you to not know how to fight the creatures of this world". She made a good point, even if I didn't like it; it is bound to help me in the long run. "Fine" I said finally giving in "Just not as rough as last time", she only giggled a little bit a kept walking down the path.

Eventually we got back to central area of the village and took a left to go back towards the forge we had passed earlier. "Is the Volcanic Forge the only one in the village" I asked out of curiosity. "No" Autumn replied "But it's the best one around… well around this village anyway, I'm sure there's better in Warfang". Now what makes Warfang so great, I mean this place seems pretty good and decently large, I wonder how big Warfang is? My thoughts about what this mysterious city might be like wonder off to the point that I lost track of time. The smell of burning charcoal and the sound of metal hitting metal snapped me back to reality. Great we're at the forge already… I was hoping that trip would take longer. "Oh, great we're here" I said sarcastically, "Yeah, now let's go pick you out a weapon, what are you best with?" Autumn asked. "Um, I'm not really sure; I've never really owned anything more than a knife" I replied completely unsure of what I would be good with. "Well then, how about a simple dagger?" she asked while walking up to one of the shelves with all sorts of weapons on it. I followed her over to it and we began to look at all the different knives that lined the shelf. Now I may not have owned much anything more than a knife but I had always been fascinated by blades. I actually knew a surprising amount of information about them that I thought I would never actually use, until now. I picked up one of the smaller daggers first and began to inspect it. The blade was sharpened on both sides and was only around four inches long; it started with a fine point that tapered down to about half an inch in width. The grip felt pretty good, it was wrapped with leather and had a nice palm swell and fit the hand well. It didn't have a quillion or pommel but was still balanced rather well, more towards the handle, for perfect control. "What, are you a pup, put that thing down and pick up something that will keep you alive" Autumn said with an amused look on her face. "While it does matter who's got the biggest stick, it matters a hell of a lot more who's swinging it" I replied with a smirk on my face.

I put the small knife down and moved on to some larger ones. One in particular caught my eye, an intricately decorated large dagger that was sharp only on one side. I walked over to it and picked it up. It had a much larger blade than the last one, about 11 inches, and it curved back slightly. It had jagged spikes that flowed beautifully down the spine and lead into the quillion. The front quillion curved down slightly while the rear one curved upwards. I got a good feel of the handle, this one was also wrapped in leather but it was dyed black, but the palm swell was rather large and felt slightly awkward in my hand. When I gave it a couple practice swings I noted that it was weighted towards the blade, making for less controllable swings but more power in each blow. "Now that's a blade" Autumn said while watching me give the large knife a few swings, "Eh, not my style" I replied before placing the blade back down on the shelf. I went through a few more daggers and other types of knives before I found another that really caught my attention. It was a good size, about 8 inches in length. It was a strait sleek blade with about a 30 degree angled tanto styled tip. On the base of the spine there were some small indentions to put your thumb on for increased grip and control of the blade. The blade led down into a small strait quillion only on the front, just enough to keep my fingers from sliding up onto the edge. The handle was wrapped in leather like the others and dyed black; it didn't have much if any palm swell but it didn't really feel like it needed one, it seemed to fit perfectly in my hand. I placed it on one finger and found the balance point to be right about where the blade met the handle. "You found something you like?" Autumn asked from behind me, "Yeah" I replied "I think this one should do". "Alright, well you'll need a sword to" she said while looking around the shop. "Over there" she pointed to a rack of swords on the opposite side of the shop, "Go get it and I'll take care of payment". She walked over to where a cheetah was standing behind a counter and began to talk with him about what I assumed to be buying the sword and knife.

I walked over to the rack that she had pointed out and found the sword that matched the style of the knife. Its blade was around 36 inches long, and just like the knife it had a tanto styled tip and it was perfectly strait. I picked it up out of the weapon rack and placed it on one finger, the balance point was in the same spot as the knife, just about where the blade met the cross guard. Unlike the knife though this sword had a cross guard on both sides but it was just enough to keep an enemy from slicing off your fingers. The handle was wrapped in the same black dyed leather, and just like the knife it felt nice in my hand. The pommel was in the shape of a triangle with the point facing toward the blade; it looked like it was made of a different metal than the rest of the sword. After I finished making sure I liked the sword as much as the knife I took both of them and walked over to Autumn, of whom was handing the cheetah behind the counter some more of those gold coins. "Are we good to go?" I asked as I walked up to her, "Yeah just once second he's got to give us the scabbards". The cheetah she had been talking to walked over to a shelf behind him and began looking through all the different scabbards. I watched as he picked out two, one for the sword and one for the knife, and walked back over to the counter. "Have a good day" he said as he handed Autumn the scabbards "You too" she replied while taking them and handing them to me. I took the scabbards and slid my new dagger into one of them and attached it to the right side of my belt. I then put the sword in the other one and fastened it to my belt on the left. "Okay, let's go" I said now anxious to try out my new gear. I was surprisingly excited to try out this gear. I may not look like the type to be into swordplay but I always found this type of stuff interesting, this world was starting to seem like too much fun. "Well someone changed their mind about training, did you forget who you're fighting?" Autumn asked while a menacing grin spread across her face. "You know Autumn I have the strangest feeling you're not going easy on me" I said sarcastically, "Oh you don't even have a chance" She replied while walking passed me. I take that back this may not be as fun as I originally thought.

I followed Autumn back down the dirt path all the way to one of the training arenas that we had walked by earlier. The whole time we walked I just kept thinking of how bad my trip to the healing wing was going to be this time. Before we went into one of the arenas Autumn took my into a building next door to the training area that seemed to be a barracks. "Alright Donovan, before we begin let's get you some armor, that was the healing wing won't need to do too much work on you… " she said while walking through the door of the building. "Why didn't we get some from one of the shops?" I asked while following close behind her. "Because the custom swords from that shop of some of the best in the land, consider it a gift or a token of trust from me to you. Armor on the other hand we don't have much of around here and unless you want basic leather the shops won't help you out much. This armor though, is for the guard and shipped from the city so there is a much better selection." "Alright makes sense". We walked into the barrack and I saw rows and rows of shelves, each one holding armors of all different shapes, sizes, and types. "Just choose one that fits you, and not just physically but that fits how you fight. Do you want movement and articulation, or heavy protection at the cost of being slowed down and bulky?" Autumn said to me as I browsed the different styles of armor. I eventually came across a piece made for the torso, it was made of a single solid plat of the chest in sort of a very wide (V) shape, below that where you would need less armor to be able to bend or move It had (V) shaped strips of metal that were about 2 or 3 inches apart from each other and about 2 inches tall. I tried it on and it fit well, but then Autumn came up behind me and laughed. "You fit into girls armor?" she said giggling. I blushed slightly but I quickly got over it and replied with "Eh if it fits it fits, who cares." I looked around and found scaled shoulder pieces, plate bracers and shin pieces, and put them on too. "Alright I think that should do it" I said to Autumn while standing there in my new armor. "So… you're the agile type" I heard her say under her breath, "Okay then let's go Donovan" she said with a menacing grin as she walked out the door gesturing for me to follow her. We only a few more yards to the training area, "Okay we're here" Autumn said while walking over onto one of the arenas, which was basically just a circle marked with small white stones. Autumn walked over to the side opposite of me, "Take your position Donovan" She called out. I walked into the arena, drew my sword and prepared to fight, Autumn did the same and we began to circle each other just like last time. I looked her directly in the eye as we slowly closed the gap between us. A grin came over her face and I could see her shift positions slightly, I could tell she was about to attack. I could tell she planned on getting me back for earlier, I didn't plan on letting that happen.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author Notes – So this one is going to have some fighting scenes so in advance WARNING: Gore, Violence, etc, etc.**

**Disclaimer - I do not own "The Legend of Spyro" game series or any of its characters.**

**Chapter 3: The Defense**

Autumn was just about to strike when suddenly we heard a loud horn of some sort go off and a bunch of loud screams coming from one of walls of the village. "Wyverns!" I heard a voice yell "Wyverns are attacking the village send backup!" I looked back to where Autumn was but she was already running towards where the voice was coming from. I looked towards the sky in the direction she was running and saw faint black figures flying quickly towards the village. Autumn called back to me "Hurry up Donovan looks like you're going to have to skip basic training and go right to field combat!" Fuck this is not good, I thought to myself, I have no idea how to fight these things and only a little real life experience with swords. I stood there for a second not knowing what I should do but then I thought about what Autumn had said about the apes and the wyverns and Malefor. I couldn't just stand idle by and let innocent people be slaughtered and, I couldn't stand there and do nothing and have their blood be on my hands. I ran after Autumn "Hold on, wait up I'm coming!" I yelled trying to catch up to her. I saw her take a glance back at me but she didn't slow down. Damn she was fast, faster than anyone I knew from back home.

As we ran through the crowds of people that were trying to escape the chaos of the wyvern attack we pushed our way through them, moving towards the fighting. People looked at us like we were crazy, and if wyverns here are anything like the legends back home then we probably are. I can't believe what I might get into, these things could probably easily kill me and I was going to go fight them with almost no experience. I was brought out of thought by a cheetah rushing past me and bumping my shoulder, then I noticed just how close we were to the battle and just how dangerous this was going to be. I could see the wyverns in detail now they were dark black with red eyes and spots dotted along their bodies. They flew through the air like snakes and they attacked huts by tumbling out of the sky, smashing into them with all their might. I was truly terrified at this point, I had absolutely no idea how in the hell I was supposed to even help fight one of these things.

Oh shit here we go I thought to myself as we rounded the corner that would lead us right to the front lines of the battle. I got around the building to my right and I nearly got hit by some wooden shrapnel from one of the buildings being destroyed not more than 30 feet in front of me. I felt something grab my arm and pull me down into the doorway of an abandoned hut, I turned to look and saw Autumn taking in the situation. She was looking at them so close you'd think she was in a trance, "Hey Autumn what the hell are we gunna do?" I asked frantically trying to figure out just how the hell she planned on fighting these things. She looked at me her face was grim but she managed a slight smirk, "How old are you Donovan?" she asked as if we were having a normal conversation on the side of the fucking street. "What? I… I'm 16 why? What the hell…" I was interrupted by Autumn who was still talking in a calm voice "Here when boys turn 16 they have to go out on a hunt and kill a grublin to prove themselves men, I'd imagine you're about as tough as most of the ones who come back successful so just follow my lead and you'll be fine." Autumn's voice was… calming, I didn't know what it was about what she had said but I was far more relaxed than I was before. Then I understood I couldn't go into battle freaking, I needed a clear head here. I looked back at Autumn and nodded "let's do this Autumn, I'll be right behind you show me how to take these fuckers down".

Autumn nodded back at me and then went out of the doorway staying close to the walls of the buildings trying to avoid the shrapnel from the wyverns destruction. She stopped me and pointed to a wyvern about to come in for an attack on the building right in front of us, "As soon as it hits it will be disoriented for a moment that's when we rush in, pin it down, and take it out" she said quickly as it came barreling down from the sky. Before I could respond it spun right into the building and I saw Autumn run straight for it, I followed quickly behind her. Autumn jumped right over what remained of the wall of the hut and slashed her sword across the wing of the stunned wyvern that was attempting to get back up. The creature screeched in pain and tried to snap at her leg, I came in from the other side sliding over the wall and slashing its other wing, it let out another agonized screech and tried to snap back at me too but seemed to be in too much pain. "We clipped its wings now finish it!" Autumn shouted. I ran up to where its head now lay in the rubble of the building. I raised my sword and pierced the back of its neck with the tip, severing its spinal cord and probably some arteries as blood came gushing out creating a pool of crimson that quickly surrounded it. It immediately fell completely lifeless without even letting out a noise, I watched as its glowing red eyes faded out to black. I looked back up at Autumn and she looked back at me smiling, "You did it Donovan!" she yelled in excitement. I looked back down at what I had done, removed my sword from the carcass, and took a step back. I had just slain a wyvern. I had never killed anything before, and even though I knew the creature was going to hurt a bunch of innocent people I couldn't help but feel a little bit bad. I looked back up at Autumn to see her expression had changed from a smile to a more serious look "That's one down but there's plenty more to go come on, don't feel bad for that thing" she said motioning for me to follow her as she leaped back over the broken wall and ran down the street to where another wyvern was circling over. I quickly followed her but she was already pretty far ahead. A I was running another wyvern caught my attention but this one was headed straight for Autumn.

"Autumn look out!" I shouted to her but she was too far away and screaming and noises of battle drowned out my cry. I could tell I wouldn't make it to her in time and my heart almost dropped, was I about to watch someone die? Then suddenly I saw a bow and some arrows next to the body of an archer who had been impaled by a large piece of wooden shrapnel, his hand still gripping the riser. I rushed over and grabbed it and an arrow, I quickly loaded the arrow, drew the string, and focused. Everything around my faded all I saw was the arrow and the wyvern, then I released. The arrow tore through the air and hit the beast right between the eyes, I knew I had done it when it lost control and began tumbling down out of the sky slamming into the ground and sliding within only a few feet of Autumn. Shocked she looked at it and then back in my direction and saw me still holding the bow, I looked back at her and nodded right before the wyvern she was waiting for crashed into the hut in front of her. She ran over the wall just like last time and I heard a screech, I ran over and got there just in time to see Autumn shoving her sword right into the creatures stomach disemboweling it. It screamed in pain as its organs slid out and covered the floor of the building, I just stood and watched. I could tell Autumn was filled with rage. She looked to the sky and cursed at it, I looked up too and saw that the wyverns were retreating back to where ever they had come from.

I heard metal clank and I looked over to Autumn who was now crouched down and leaning up against a wall outside of the building where she had just gutted the wyvern. I walked over and sat next to her, letting myself relax as I leaned against the wall. I looked up at Autumn who was just staring at the sky, and then, suddenly, she started laughing. "What's so funny?" I asked curiously. "I said that the boys had to kill a grublin to prove themselves men… not a wyvern" she replied while leaning her head to the side and looking at me giggling "You, you have got some talent, anyway we should leave for the city tomorrow. I think my father and his men can handle clean-up." I just sat there shocked, I can't believe she made me think this was just like some initiation that all the guys had to do, she's tricky and I'd be lying if I said it didn't make me more interested. "You tricksy bastard." I said laughing "Okay fine, I could use a bath and some rest after all that's happened anyway. So… where am I going to sleep for the night?" Autumn thought for a moment before replying "I guess you could sleep in my hut, you saved my life with that arrow so you have at least a little bit of my trust". Stay at her hut? I felt myself blush a little bit and I think she noticed because she giggled a little. "Come on, I could use some food too" she said while slowing getting up and stretching. I got up and stood next to her "Alright show me the way".

We started on our way back towards the middle of the village, I think, I got all mixed up during the fight. Anyway I have to say I think we must have looked quite badass walking down the road covered in the crimson red of wyvern blood, I mean I felt disgusting but still badass. I mean we were turning heads… then again that also may have been because they'd probably never seen a creature like me before. I wonder if humans exist here, or if this place is even real, am I dreaming? What why am I just now considering that this might be a dream, it can't be a dream it feels so real, plus you can't experience pain in a dream right? On top of all that I had just killed something, I didn't know if I wanted this to be real or not. All these thoughts came running through my mind and I started to space out, I didn't even notice Autumn talking to me. "Donovan? Donovan are you alright?" she asked walking up next to me. I suddenly came back down to earth, or wherever this place was. "Yeah sorry just, thinking. You know falling into a new world where your race doesn't even exist and all, takes a bit of a toll on your mind." I replied trying to make light of the subject and move on. There was a second or two of silence and as I looked up at Autumn she seemed sorry for me. "You'll be okay Donovan, We'll go to the city and we will find out where you came from and how to get you back". "Why?" I asked, it was strange that someone you had just met, and that thought you were an enemy just at the beginning of the day, would want to help you do something that could very well be dangerous. "Because you haven't wronged me, my people, or my family and friends. But yet we assumed you were an ape, and treated you like a hostile just because we were unsure. On top of all that you don't have a home here, or family, or friends, you don't even have beings of the same race. I'm not trying to be rude or anything but you don't belong here Donovan". "It's not like I had much of that back where I came from anyway. I don't belong there either Autumn but I understand, I'm not like you, I couldn't handle myself here so you just want me out of your hair so I don't cause any problems." I replied, thinking this was just the same old shit. "That's not what I meant…" you proved you can handle yourself, no one of your age here could handle themselves like you did back there. Speaking of back there that's another reason I'm helping you now, you helped defend the village and you saved my life." Autumn said trying to cheer me back up. I don't understand her, we've only just met yet she's been treating me like… a friend. This kinda made me feel a little better, better about this place, and about myself a little bit too. "Thanks" I mumbled under my breath, "Anytime" Autumn replied smiling at me.

It didn't take that long to get to Autumn's place, It wasn't in the middle of the village but it was closer than most of the others house that were in the area the wyverns attacked. In fact it looked like this area was totally untouched by the attack, probably one of the perks of being the chief's daughter. These houses also seemed to be built better and nicer looking, probably cost a lot more too. "This is it" Autumn said as we approached the front door. I didn't say anything I just followed her up to the entrance. She opened the door and motioned for me to come inside, as I walked through the entrance she closed the door behind me. We stood in the main room of the place where there was a dining table with some chairs positioned neatly around it. In the back of the room were three doors. One of them led to the kitchen as it didn't have an actual door on it, and the other two I guessed to be bedrooms. A couple banners with the same "XV" that was on her armor hung around the room. "What's the fifteen for?" I asked, curiously. "It's my squadron number" she replied "We are of the more elite warriors of the tribe each of use with different skills, five of us in total. You've seen two of them if you remember earlier today, they were with me when you first woke up". "Interesting" I said while continuing to look around the room, but there wasn't much else there. Some furniture here, a vase there, what I would assume to be a pretty average home here. "So where can I go to get cleaned up?" I asked anxiously as the feeling of about half of me being covered in wyvern blood was getting old. "Right through that door is a room with a bed and a bath." Autumn said, pointing to the left door, "you can clean yourself up there. I think I shall do the same actually and then I'll make us something to eat and then we can rest for our journey to the city tomorrow". "Thanks" I said while walking to the room. I entered the bedroom and closed the door behind me.

The room was small but it seemed to have everything I needed to get clean and rested. To the right was a bed, the frame made from wood and the mattress was made of cloth, probably filled with hay, but hopefully some sort of cotton. At the head of the bed was a small window, and at the foot was a chest that I could put my things in for the night. On the other side of the room was a metal tub with some cloths hanging on the side, probably for drying off with, and some buckets of water sitting next to it. I picked up the cloth and tossed it on the bed, poured the water into the tub, and started taking my gear off piece by piece. The sword and dagger were easy, just unhook them from my belt. I took them off along with my backpack and set them on the chest. The armor on the other hand was a little more difficult. Autumn had helped me put it on the first time and in all the chaos that happened afterwards I sort of forgot where all the straps and things where. I fiddled around with the chest piece for a minute trying to find all the straps and get all the buckles undone. After I got the first few it got pretty easy though and I got all my armor off. Then I took the rest of my clothes off shirt, pants, whatever, and got into the water. It was a bit cold at first but I got used to it, I guess you don't really appreciate the benefit of heated water until you have to go without. I washed myself off until I felt as clean as I was gunna get, and then I just kind of relaxed for a second. The water had warmed up from my body heat by this point and it was mildly relaxing. I just sat there for a moment and didn't think about anything I didn't want to think about anything. About how all this could just be a dream, about how I had just killed 2 living creatures, about how even if this was a dream back home didn't have much for me either. "Shut up Wolfy" I said to myself before sliding down a little deeper into the water and finally relaxing, free from any thought… until I smelled food. The scent of cooking meat was enough to make my stomach growl and get me to get up and get dressed. I got out of the tub and pulled the plug at the bottom letting all the wat drain out through the floor, I guess, I don't know I'm not sure how the plumbing works here. Anyway, then I dried off got dressed and went back out into the main room where Autumn was sitting at the large dining table already eating.

I walked over at sat in the chair opposite of her where my plate was. I sat down and looked at the meat in front of me "So what is it?" I asked curiously. "Venison, you do have deer and venison where you come from right?" she asked in reply. "Yeah, I've just never had it before." Autumn went back to eating, there were no utensils so she was just eating with her hands, so when in Rome I suppose. Like I told Autumn I'd never had venison before but it wasn't that bad. It had been cooked with spices too so it was actually pretty good. We didn't talk much until after we had finished our food, but once we had I asked "Are you sure it's okay for you to leave right after an attack like that?" "It will be fine the damage wasn't too bad and we get small attacks on occasion this is nothing new." She replied. "That's a small attack? I'd hate to see what you call a large one" "Well they have been getting bigger as of late, another reason I need to go to the city is to request some assistance. I feel like something big is going to happen some time soon and we need to be ready if it does." It was quiet for a second and then Autumn spoke again "We should probably get some rest, we have quite a walk ahead of us tomorrow" she said as she got up and began walking to her room. "Sleep well Donovan" she said closing the door behind her. I got up from the table and stretched, then I noticed how late it had gotten. There was barely any light coming through the windows so the room was dim, lit by the last few rays of light from the setting sun. I walked into my room and shut the door behind me before collapsing face down on the bed. I turned over so I was laying on my back and stared at the celling too tired to think about anything.

It didn't take me long to fall asleep, which was unusual as I normally have the sleeping pattern of an insomniac no matter how tired I am. After only being asleep for a few minutes I was awoken to the sensation of falling. My eyes snapped open but I couldn't see anything besides myself. I was falling through a void an endless pit of nothingness, and then the sensation stopped. I felt like I was floating, I was still in the void and I wasn't standing on anything I was just… there. I tried to move or to speak but I couldn't, then I started to remember how I got here. I felt the exact same then as I did now and it was terrifying, I was completely numb I couldn't feel anything and I couldn't move a muscle. Then, a platform began to form below me and I regained control over my body as I fell a short distance onto it. I landed on my hands and knees looking at the ground, I had control and could move and feel my body, but I still felt weak. As I started to regain my strength I slowly stood up and looked around. There was nothing, still just a void but now I was standing on a solid grey stone platform that had a few cracks in it. I stood there for a second trying to get a grasp on where I could possibly be now when I heard a voice "You, are something special Donovan Night" it said "You have powers, locked away deep within you. Rare powers of the void that only the shadowed ones have, but you are not like them…" it trailed off. "Who are you?" I asked out to the void, "Where am I, who are these shadowed ones?". There was silence and then the voice spoke again. "The shadowed ones are dark creatures, they can be of any species but they all draw dark powers from the void. They are called the shadowed ones because the first power that they usually gain is of the shadows." It replied calmly "You are in a dream, and I am the Chronicler. I keep the books of all dragon lives, and your book is especially interesting." I stood there confused, I wasn't a dragon what is this Chronicler talking about. "I guess you can't see me because I'm no dragon." I said into the void once again. "No? then why do you have a book, the books do not lie. Of course I can see you, you may not have the physical appearance of a dragon, at least not yet my child, but you have the soul of a dragon" the Chronicler's voice said. "This is one weird dream…" I said to myself. "This is more than a dream young one, this is my way of contacting you to tell you that you have a destiny here, and to warn you…" The voice faded out and I began to feel the numbness take over again. "Warn me about what?" I called out as I began to fall again. "I can't hold you any longer, stay safe young one, your journey to the city may be dangerous, they know…" the voice faded out.

I woke up sweating as my eyes shot open. I sat up quickly and looked around, I was back at autumns house in the bedroom where I had fallen asleep. I noticed some faint blue light coming through the window, it must be early morning. I could remember last night perfectly, my dream, the void, the Chronicler. What the hell was all that about? Was it just a dream? Did I really have some special power? Did I… have the soul of a dragon? What the hell am I saying, the soul of a dragon. Whatever it was probably just a weird dream, or a nightmare, souls are just some religious thing, children's stories taken too seriously, I thought to myself. I wasn't very… religious to begin with but then again look at where I am, some fantasy land where anthro cheetahs exist along with dragons, and they're having a war with wyverns and talking apes. I sat at the edge of the bed and cradled my head with my hands, "Maybe I'm just going crazy…" I said to myself quietly. I was brought out of this dark thought by a knock on the door, it was Autumn "Come on Donovan wake up and get your gear ready we're heading out soon" she said through the door. "Alright, alright, I'm getting up.." I replied groaning while standing up from the bed and stretching my arms out. I heard Autumn laugh a little and walk away. I picked up my new armor off the floor and began putting it all on, fastening the straps tightly so they don't fall off during our walk. I strapped my sword and dagger on my belt, dagger on the right, sword on the left. I grabbed my backpack slung it over my shoulder and walked out the door. Autumn was sitting in one of the chairs that sat at the dining table eating a piece of bread. She looked over at me before standing up and tossing me a piece of bread "Here catch" she said as she tossed it. I caught it and took a bite, "So are we headed out now?" I asked while walking over to her. "Yeah, and here you'll need this to" she said holding out a canteen. I slid my backpack off one shoulder before taking the canteen and putting it in one of the pockets. Autumn stood up, walked over to the door and stretched "ready to go?" she asked while looking back at me. "Yup" I replied walking up behind her "Let's go".

**Author Notes – So I hopped you enjoyed this chapter, I promise I won't take a year to post the next one. A lot of stuff happened in real life that made me need to put this off for a bit but I'm back. I should be making more regular updates from now on. Also don't forget to go back and re-read the other two chapters as they've been revised because I just didn't like some of the ideas I had when I wrote them. **


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